Plato

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Identity & CultureGenerational Dream as Fuel Signature MoveImmigrant Hunger Never Turns Off Decision FrameworkCommon Sense Over Ideology Operating PrincipleNever-Done-Yet Restlessness Cornerstone MoveSmall Grocery to Sprawling Empire Acquisition Signature MoveVolcano Island Origins as Identity Fuel Identity & CultureAmerica as Opportunity Machine Signature MoveMind Always Racing Forward Signature MoveCross-Aisle Political Access Cornerstone MoveBrainpower-On-It Problem Solving Competitive AdvantageSidewalk-to-Boardroom Hustle DNA Signature MoveCrisis as Finest Hour Opportunity Signature MoveNever Surrender Absolutism Operating PrincipleMany Ideas Generate Few Good Ones Cornerstone MoveWords as Weapons Before Bullets Decision FrameworkIntense Simplicities From Complexity Signature MoveSelf-Deprecating Humor as Disarmament Identity & CultureDemocracy Despite Its Flaws Risk DoctrineFighting Nations Rise Again Cornerstone MoveSimplify Self Into Symbol Signature MoveMemorized Speech as Spontaneous Performance Strategic PatternShort Words Over Long Ones Operating PrincipleAccountability Over Advisory Layers Operating PrincipleTime Value of Invested Cash Obsession Signature MoveOwner Mindset Over Employee Thinking Capital StrategyCash Parking During Opportunity Drought Signature MoveGlobal Ground-Truth Investigation Cornerstone MoveArbitrage and Workout Situations Signature MoveContrarian Loneliness as Edge Risk DoctrineMargin of Safety as Liquidation Floor Signature MoveBalance Sheet Forensics Over Earnings Signature MoveDouble-and-Sell-Half Discipline Cornerstone MoveNet-Net Working Capital Acquisition Strategic PatternTroubled Economies as Value Hunting Grounds Decision FrameworkBusiness Understanding Before Investment Risk DoctrineConcentration Over Diversification Logic Decision FrameworkDiscounted Cash Flow Skepticism Strategic PatternQuantitative Screening Before Qualitative

Primary Evidence

"“The unexamined life is not worth living,” the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates supposedly said. The truth is we don’t know if Socrates really said that. The great teacher didn’t write anything down. All we have to go by are the reports from Plato and other star students. But I’m inclined to believe what they say. I like examining things, my own life included. That’s how I improve myself. That’s what I’ve always done: look at the situation, whatever it is, turn my brainpower on it, and then try to solve the issues that I find. That’s how I built my businesses. That’s how I’ve run my life."

Source:How Far Do You Want to Go?

"Macaulay, Gibbon, Darwin, Plato, and Aristotle,"

Source:Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill

"“Lack of physical activity destroys the naturally good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” (Plato)"

Source:Routines and Orgies - The Life of Peter Cundill, Financial Genius, Philosopher, and Philanthropist

Appears In Volumes

How Far Do You Want to Go?Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill Routines and Orgies - The Life of Peter Cundill, Financial Genius, Philosopher, and Philanthropist